LoveBeauty
New member
So I have my talent plus interview with EL and I was wondering if there is someone who could give me a few examples of questions the ask you?
Whoa. I'm sorry that the interview left you disgruntled, but that doesn't mean you have to attack me personally. All I wanted to do is share some insight from the hiring perspective, and to let those who were beating themselves up about it know that they didn't "fail" per se, just not the right fit for the position. Clearly, from your defensive rant and rudeness, you have just demonstrated that Talent + did something right by not recommending you. I'm sorry that its upset you so much, that you felt compelled to open up an account just to make that post.the talent plus interview is a total joke..the questions are extremely invasive and meant to pick your brain.. it is not an interview tool aimed at selecting a candidate with great qualifications. it is to see whether or not you are a corporate drone with no brain who will obey authority no matter how under qualified the management may be.. they want to know basically if you will be friends with your coworkers..and if you say it is more important to be professional that is a bad thing..if you are not "hungry" for sales..bzzzt..wrong..questions like if someone is giving away free things at work what would you do? when you ask them to clarify as to what "free" means is it free samples or maybe someone being unethical like lets say stealing which happens a lot in retail..they say oh..interpret it yourself... questions like do you work harder than most of your friends.. and do you think a promotion should be given to someone because they have worked there for a long time and have seniority?? its a total corporate mind melt and the funny thing is if you don't see that you are exactly the kind of moron they want to hire..its pathetic that a company uses such a transparent and twisted way to hire people..they obviously don't have anyone in their employ that actually has any skills or they wouldn't have to resort to such measures....i am highly educated, (although being lazy in my typing here) and possess a strong proclivity for retail sales not to mention i am also a licensed cosmetologist who does makeup for a living, also have a strong background in cosmeseuticals...would have made their company a lot of money, built their client base and furthered their brand..i only needed a part time job for the fun of it so no i am not upset i didn't get hired..but wanted to warn people that it is totally bs...and don't fall for it..you will feel violated after you speak to them..i will never place myself in the hands of corporate idiots again..no matter how skilled i may be..talent plus not two thumbs but i give u one finger straight up..you and any company that uses this system is well, bad form and you wouldn't want to work for someone who thinks they have the right to attempt to invade your privacy and think that you should agree to it just for a sh**ty low paying job. laaaaaammmmme.
I've been a manager for 5 years and have used talent + to find the best for my business. I can see why people think it is a pass/fail situation, but what it really does is establish what a persons natural top talents are, and whether or not that person is a "fit" for the business' needs. A lot of the questions require a person to pull from past experience and explain how they have handled certain scenarios, talk about beliefs, goals, hobbies, etc. The reason it is so important to be honest during this interview, is because it is believed that your talents rarely to almost never change. For example, when I was first hired I was given my top 3 talents. Years later, I was told they were making updates with the talent + program, and needed me to retake the test to be on file in the new computer database. I remember joking around with my district manager, saying, "What If the results come back and I am no longer a fit! Can you imagine?!" That's when she scoffed and said even though its a few years later, and questions may be different, as long as I was honest the first time, my talents should be the same-which they were!! From what I remember, EL took their top performers and asked them these questions and noticed certain talents that drove growth, within employees and the business. For example, in the scenario above, someone indeed can be a hard worker, well liked, and can sell-but may possibly not be "fit" due to lack of certain crucial talents. I have personally had one scenario where I really REALLY pushed to hire someone although they weren't reccommended, and I would probably never do that again. I had invested a lot of time, coaching, and development into someone who still resulted in an underperformer. Instead of investing all of that time and effort into an individual who provided satisfactory performance, I could have utilized talent + to find the right person for my staff, and analyze the talents I already have, and look for someone with the talents that will either support what I already have, or fulfill what I am missing. Long story short, I believe in the science behind talent +. I know how to motivate and drive my employees in the ways that are most important to them. I have one employee that is an "achiever" and she needs to be acknowledged when she does something well. That might not be necessary or even important to a different employee. On the flipside, it's also how I am driven by my district manager, she's knows one of my top talents is competitiveness-so she drives me by doing regional contests. Long story short, talent + is very intricate, and if you find that you are not a fit, don't feel like you've failed. You were just not what they were looking for at that moment in time, and realistically, if you were to take on the job, there would most likely be a lot of challenges and struggles along the way.
Exactly! It allows growth and development for both the employee and the employer. It's a great way to decide what work's best to elevate each employee custom to their needs. I highly doubt Estée Lauder would have continued paying a third party company, Talent+, for all these years unless it has proven success time and time again. A lot of other companies use different variations of the Talent+ interview to hire as well-I know Ritz Carlton and I think possibly BMW. The reason talent+ is different from a pass/fail is because it uncovers your talents. Everyone has talents in different areas, and companies want to see a general overview of what they could possibily benefit and/or encounter by having you on board. I'm not saying all Talent+ interviews are accurate depictions, I understand some people just don't interview well and could quite possibly be amazing. Management understands this and analyzes the what-if's. It's not uncommon for employers to do a screener prior or after a face-to-face. Now these are more pass/fail. My first job was working for Anchor Blue when I was 16. I had to take an aptitude test that asked multiple choice questions like, "if you caught a co-worker stealing, what would you do?" I also worked for another company in which their screening test was thru their back office computer, and would ask common sense questions like "if it is 3PM right now, is it a) morning b) afternoon c)night" and "Sally has $10. She buys 3 apples and spent $2.15, how much does she have left?" If they couldn't pass those first 'qualifier' questions, they automatically couldn't continue and answer the actual serious interview questions. I mean seriously?? I can't even count how many ppl had to come get me and say, "It won't let me take the actual test." I don't remember any of the talent+ questions being invasive whatsoever, they are traditional interview questions asking about honesty, work ethics, values, teamwork, goals, customer service, etc. Obviously there's no asking about religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity.... I have met a lot of people within the company who are highly educated, have other "successful" jobs, yet they always come back to work retail cosmetics, because that's what they're GOOD at. They excel in the position because it comes naturally to them, it's one of their talents and what they enjoy. On a side note, Talent+ is just a tool companies use. Management ultimately decides who they want to hire. My honest opinion though, you have to either have an amazing face-to-face interview and/or excellent (and relevant) recommendations. I just interviewed someone who I thought would be a wonderful addition to my team. When I told her the next process in the interview would be taking the Talent+, she informed me she already took it when she interviewed for another Lauder brand.....and wasn't a fit. She then explained that English was not her first language (although she speaks it very well) and there were a lot of technical words from the interview she didn't understand, therefore she was unable to answer accurately. I really believed in her, so I asked my DM to give a second interview, and she loved her! I'm making her an offer tomorrow. There are exceptions!!! Good luck to all!This is a very good description of how Talent+ can be used and why some people who may seem like they would be great employees may not end up being hired. I was amazed when I was shown my top 3 "Talents" (which may be more like qualities rather than talents) how spot on they were in descriptions of my personality & how I like to work. These Talents are then used my CM to help her determine what kind of encouragement/coaching will best motivate me to perform better.